


The Wild Hunt

by Tilltheendwilliwrite



Series: Christmas Drabble Day 2018 [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Christmas traditions, Yule Traditions, Yuletide, тэг заменён на Don't copy to another site
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-24 13:02:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17101082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tilltheendwilliwrite/pseuds/Tilltheendwilliwrite
Summary: silent-feminist asked:I already sent this ask once, but here it is again: Can I please get some Peter and Loki being friends? How about Peter celebrating Christmas with Loki or something? Thanks, love u 💛💚💙❤️





	The Wild Hunt

* * *

 

Loki stared at the fireplace in confusion before reaching out and flicking a finger against the overly large sock with his name on it that hung there.

“What ya doing, Mr. Loki?”

He glanced at the boy who’d appeared in the door. Young, skinny, with his hair a mess, Loki felt his lip twitch with the desire to smile but quelled it. He liked the boy, Peter, but refused to admit it. It wouldn’t do to sully his reputation by appearing soft. “What is the purpose of these?”

“They’re stockings.” Peter bounced closer, a wide smile on his face and excitement in his voice. “For Santa!”

“Ah, the St. Nicholas person. Such a pity about that.”

“What!” Shock rippled across Peter’s face. “Why would you say that? Mr. Stark plays Santa every year and fills the stockings with the best gifts! Last year I got _this_!” Peter tugged a clear flat plastic phone from his pocket, the same as what Stark used and held it up.

“Mm.” Loki turned away and went to sit where the fire was not so warm. “It is merely a pity you humans no longer worship this holiday as you used to. With Odin and the Wild Hunt. The yule log, sun wheels, and celebrations that lasted twelve days. Those were the days.”

Peter plopped down across from him, bent over his knees with the sparkle of excitement back in his eyes. “Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why was it so fun? What’s the Wild Hunt? Why did they celebrate for twelve days?”

The boy appeared to be genuinely interested, so Loki elaborated. “Father always did enjoy a good hunt. During the Yuletide he would return to Midgard and ride forth on Sleipner, hounds baying, as whatever his chosen prey ran before him. There was nothing like racing across the country at his side, the horses stomping and blowing, the hounds crying, as we chased down a boar, or stag, or,” he shot Peter a sly smile, “the fairest of maiden.”

“Really?” Peter squeaked.

Loki chuckled but nodded. “There were many a magical fairy maid born back when Midgard was still young. They would race the hunt, laughing and taunting, giving us a merry chase before being caught and whisked off to Asgard where they belonged. The people feared crossing paths with the Wild Hunt. They thought it was an omen of disaster to come, though in truth it was only because Father enjoyed the ride, and what better night to chase prey than the longest one of the year?”

“Wow… That would have been awesome to see.”

“Then there was the feasting. The twelve days of food and drink and gaming to rival any other throughout the year. Yule was meant to mark the loosening of winter’s grip on the world. The first night was Frigga’s night, one to honour one’s female ancestors. The villagers would hold a vigil from dusk till dawn, watching over the yule log. A log carved with protective runes and decorated beautifully with pine and holly and berries. They had to choose one big enough to burn all night long, thinking it would encourage the sun to rise once more after the longest night.”

Loki remembered it vividly. “There was nothing like the feast halls of the Jarls and the Kings. Strung with garlands of evergreens, meat and mead flowing without end, the women and the song. There were many a year we, Thor and I, would finish a hunt early and find a hall in which to pass the night. Some years we were known, the people looked and saw the truth. Others, well, let’s just say we arrived when they were well into their cups and too stupid to see anything.”

“How wigged out were people when the figured out who you were?”

He glanced a Peter, noticed the smug grin, and chuckled. “Very. It was almost better to arrive when they were very drunk. People were less nervous. Though I remember this one year,” he tapped a finger on his cheek and smiled in remembrance, “we’d arrived early and were known. The people were all very respectful, all except her. Eostre was her name. She was determined to have one of us warm her bed, but wound up having both of us-” A hand slapped the back of his head and cut off the rest of his story.

“Loki! Don’t tell the boy that story!” Thor bellowed.

Loki rubbed the sore spot and glared at his brother. “Why not? The boy is sixteen.”

“Yes, well, as Stark pointed out, they make their children wait to hit their majority now. It is no longer twelve as it used to be, or even fifteen, a respectable age, but eighteen.”

Loki looked at Peter whose blush filled his whole face. “Please. The boy is nearly a man! What harm would one tale of a threesome hurt him? It was even a tame threesome, not like that time with that sweet Asgardian pleasure wench. What was her name? Magnet? Minet?”

“It was Merket, and stop embarrassing the boy.”

“Bah!” Loki waved a dismissive hand. “How would you know?”

“Mr. Stark got really mad when Thor tried to give me a beer last year,” Peter mumbled.

Loki gaped in horror. “They won’t even let the boy enjoy a nice beer?”

“No, brother.”

“Ale? Mead? Wine?” Thor kept shaking his head. “You poor child.” Loki shot to his feet and grabbed Peter off the sofa where he dragged him into a protective embrace. “You stick with me. I will teach you all you need to know about being a man. Clearly, these Midgardians have lost their minds. Brother, I insist we take Peter to Asgard where he can enjoy the freedom of his age.”

“Loki. No.” Thor crossed his arms.

Loki glared at him. “He is sorely lacking in his education when it comes to Germanic tradition. All of these Christmas traditions derived from ones our worshippers created. He should come to Asgard and feast as was meant!”

“Mr. Loki?” Peter mumbled. “You’re making it hard to breathe.”

He released his hold on the boy enough to keep him from passing out.

“Loki, Stark would never allow it.”

“You all ruin my fun.” He dropped to the sofa and dragged Peter down with him. “The boy has the metabolism of an Asgardian. He would be fine.”

“It’s okay, Mr. Loki.” Peter patted his arm. “Maybe when I’m older. It’s only two more years. But I’m pretty sure Aunt May would take issue with me going this year.”

Loki let out a huff and crossed his arms. “Fine. But you are getting a proper drinking horn for Yule.” Then he looked at Thor smirking down at him. “Do you think Father realizes they turned him into Santa Claus?”

Thor’s face paled. “As I have no desire to see him ride a Wild Hunt after the last one? I’m not about to tell him.”

“Why? What happened with the last one?” Peter asked.

“Haven’t you wondered why a Hunt hasn’t been seen in ages?” Loki asked.

Peter shrugged. “I just thought, I don’t know, with the change over in religion it became a bit of a moot point.”

“It did. Magic also started to fade from Midgard at that time. It was less fun to ride a hunt when the boar or stag wass no longer magical. Too easy a chase. Then, one year Father got it in his head to ride another, and it was a disaster.” Loki snickered in memory. “We hadn’t paid much attention to what was happening on Midgard and came down in the middle of a battlefield. The hunt scattered, people when all directions, bullets flew. One soldier shot Odin’s helmet from his head, a complete accident, but Father was so incised he rode down the entire army, creating a blizzard that wiped everything out and froze them in their retreat.”

“Pity. They were the descendants of our people,” Thor muttered into his mug of spiced cider.

“If they were descendants they should have known better than to get in the way of the Wild Hunt,” Loki scoffed.

“When was this?” Peter asked, his face had paled.

“Oh, about… seventy-eight years ago?” Thor looked at Loki who nodded in agreement.

“In Russia?” Petter squeaked.

Loki nodded. “Well, the population had grown, and the wild lands of that country remained relatively untouched according to Heimdall.”

“Oh, man. Oh, man, Oh, man….” Peter jumped up and started to pace. “I have to go tell Steve!”

The boy raced out of the room leaving Thor and Loki gaping after him.

“What was that about?” Loki asked.

“No idea.” Thor shrugged.

It wouldn’t be until a few hours later that they’d learn the Wild Hunt had taken out a large portion of Germany’s army during the second world war with that blizzard.

-End-


End file.
